Not So Far Away (Worlds Collide The Duets #1) - LL Meyer Page 0,98

turned my life upside down. He makes me laugh, he makes me think – gah! – he makes me come.

“Scott?”

“Hhhmmm?”

I gasp as he flexes his hips.

This man who’s still lodged inside of me, his weight keeping me grounded, his face buried in my neck as his hand skims the side of my breast with so much tenderness that I feel my chest swell with heavy emotion.

As he nibbles at the sensitive flesh of my throat, I whisper, “Thank you for standing by me tonight.”

He freezes.

“I thought maybe you would . . . that I would . . . lose you.”

He lifts his head, giving me a chance to see the concern on his face.

“Friends are important,” I continue, cupping his cheek. “I know you could easily have sided with him.” The feel of unexpected tears sends my heartrate into an erratic trot. Why am I crying?

“Hey,” he says gently, wiping away a renegade tear I can’t hold back. “I made a commitment to you. And I mean to keep it.”

Oh my god. This man. I’m overwhelmed by him. I have to fight to take my next breath, but then like a stopper being pulled from a bottle, my emotions pour out with my next exhale.

“Oh, Scott, I love you so much.”

Something sparks in his eyes, but it’s hard to say if it’s surprise or panic or reciprocal feeling. Strangely enough, I feel no regret or panic at my admission . . . only a mild sense of amusement at the timing. Then the amusement becomes an all-out smile that has his eyebrows lifting in question.

“I’m sorry,” I half giggle. “Maybe this wasn’t the best time to say those words, what with you balls deep inside of me.” I squeeze my inner muscles, forcing a soft grunt from him.

Leaning his weight to one side, he takes hold of my hand and gently kisses the tips of my fingers before clutching it to his chest. “It was the perfect time,” he says earnestly, his seriousness cutting off my silliness.

Instead of saying more though, he lets go of my hand and grips the condom to slide himself out of me. If I wasn’t so addled by his words, I’d protest him leaving the bed to dispose of the condom.

The perfect time?

“It was?” I ask quietly, expectantly, needing him to clarify.

He turns to grin down at me ruefully. “I’ve never felt the way I do about you . . .”

He reaches his arms above his head to stretch out his muscles, but the view doesn’t distract me. Actually, as the seconds tick by, a bit of panic starts to squeeze me in its grip. “But . . ?” I croak.

He seems surprised. “Oh, no. No buts. Just . . .”

Just what? Except he remains silent. Just don’t rush me? That would be fair. I just don’t love you back? That would wreck me.

He clears his throat a bit nervously. “Just, I’ve never been in love before.”

And?

Yet again, he remains mum as he searches for his underwear among our discarded clothes. Finally, a withered chuckle seeps from me into the air around us. Admittedly, Scott’s honesty, no matter how cryptic, is better than Gunnar’s indifference or Nathan’s crushing deceit. He said he’s committed to me. That’s real. That’s more than I’ve ever had before. I should be grateful . . . but when Scott finally starts talking again, I’m a bit lost in my disappointment.

“I mean, what is the criteria for love anyway?” he says absently, pacing the room now.

I kind of wish he would stop.

“Obsession?” he muses. “Because I’ve definitely got that checked off the list. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the day I jumped over that counter.”

He keeps on, oblivious to my growing dejection.

“Possessiveness? Check. I wanted to throat punch every guy who even glanced in your direction tonight.”

I snort, calling his full attention back to me.

“And that, right there,” he says, pointing at me. “Your attitude, or maybe your confidence, is a total turn-on.” His face takes on some kind of confused, WTF expression.

“Look,” I say, very much wanting to change the course of the conversation.

“And we have the same sense of humor. You’re crazy smart, and insanely beautiful. You’re perfect in every way.”

Silence. I feel a sickening slither of unease shift under my skin. “Except one?”

“Huh?”

I shouldn’t be annoyed with him, I know I shouldn’t. But perfect yet unlovable? Come on. The helplessness that’s creeping up on me now feels eerily similar to earlier when I